The Last of Us Episode 4

In the live-action adaptation, Henry is portrayed by Lamar Johnson, while Sam is portrayed by Keivonn Woodard. The pair met (or perhaps followed?) Joel and ...

Henry and Sam’s encounter with Joel and Ellie in the Naughty Dog video game was pretty heated too. One of the new The Last of Us characters introduced in Episode 4 is Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), the leader of the people who took out FEDRA in Kansas City. In the live-action adaptation, Henry is portrayed by Lamar Johnson, while Sam is portrayed by Keivonn Woodard.

Joel orders Ellie to slip through a hole in the wall nearby and hide while he takes care of their attackers, who show up and begin firing. In the games there's ...

There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but it’s now starting to affect the pace a bit, which seriously drags in places The attack on Joel and Ellie in the games is absolutely insane and wracked with tension. The Last Of Us gam managed to balance action, suspense and character-driven drama beautifully but here, the show has almost completely abandoned the action and suspense, instead gunning for much more of a standard drama. Eventually she throws it outside and the pair press on, eventually deciding to make camp in the middle of the forest. All of that stuff is great, with the pair slowly starting to trust one another. Joel orders her back through the gap in the wall before killing the guy with a knife, putting him out his misery. Episode 4 of The Last Of Us starts with Ellie in a bathroom alone, playing with the handgun she found.

"The Last of Us" star Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, tweeted some recognisable emoji after episode 4.

Episodes usually premiere on Sunday.(opens in a new tab)](https://zdcs.link/kWLXr?cd36=Standard&%3B%3B%3Bt=article&%3B%3B%3Bm=content_body&%3B%3B%3Be=offer&%3B%3B%3Bi=text-link&%3B%3B%3Bel=HBO%20Max.%28Opens%20in%20a%20new%20window%29&%3B%3B%3Bcd62=article&%3B%3B%3Bcd63=06HfY51imYzhAUHuzUzI6Sn&%3B%3B%3Bshort_url=kWLXr&%3B%3B%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-last-of-us-bill-and-frank&%3B%3Bt=article&%3B%3Bm=content_body&%3B%3Be=offer&%3B%3Bi=text-link&%3B%3Bel=HBO%20Max.&%3B%3Bcd62=article&%3B%3Bcd63=050lNWiM14bNETmpJ8LgeNF&%3B%3Bshort_url=kWLXr&%3B%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-last-of-us-who-is-kathleen-melanie-lynskey&%3Bt=video&%3Bm=content_body&%3Be=offer&%3Bi=text-link&%3Bel=The%20Last%20of%20Us%20episode%205%20premieres%20Friday%20at%209%20p.m.%20on%20HBO%20Max&%3Bcd62=video&%3Bcd63=06VmyXULKdhjFibiI1Bb7Dx&%3Bshort_url=kWLXr&%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fvideo%2Fthe-last-of-us-episode-5-trailer&t=article&m=content_body&e=offer&i=text-link&el=The%20Last%20of%20Us%20episode%205%20premieres%20Friday%20at%209%20p.m.%20on%20HBO%20Max.%20Episodes%20usually%20premiere%20on%20Sunday.&cd62=article&cd63=05I6rd3sg83XfElTACmQziD&short_url=kWLXr&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-last-of-us-episode-4-bella-ramsey-tweet) [The Last of Us premiered in January](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-hbo-review), the actor who plays lead character Ellie in the show has been sharing a mix of commentary, excitable reactions, and glorious behind-the-scenes photos like this one. [Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) (Opens in a new window)] on HBO Max. The emoji tweet is a reference to the joke Ellie (Ramsey) tells Joel (Pedro Pascal) at the end of episode 4, as they're about to go to sleep in an abandoned building: [The Last of Us](https://mashable.com/category/the-last-of-us) a trip to the internet is pretty much mandatory, whether it's to read up on [the latest clues](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-episode-3-80s-music-radio), [compare the show with the game](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-episode-4-ellie-bill-porn-magazine), find out more about [a new character,](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-who-is-kathleen-melanie-lynskey) or simply [share in a collective outpouring of intense grief](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-episode-3-final-song).

Seeing familial relationships build and blossom across many hours is one of the most rewarding aspects of a television series. The length of time we get to ...

Joel and Ellie are able to find a hiding place in the city away from the watchful eye of this organization, and the episode ends on an abrupt cliffhanger. She shoots the antagonist in the back of the leg, saving Joel in the process. It’s a vital moment in the series, a scene in which the audience is able to immediately identify with the good parts of Joel’s moral compass, an instrument that has been interpreted as being a little foggy thus far. Ellie is the key to unlocking Joel’s past and allowing him to get in touch with some of his pre-apocalyptic personality traits. This is the first time we see Joel enter instinctive dad protection mode, staying up all night to make sure intruders don’t hurt Ellie or take anything from their camp. The length of time we get to see the chemistry of characters organically develop into something novel and emotionally wrought is a sight to behold if done right.

Jeffrey Pierce may have voiced Tommy in 'The Last of Us' games, but he's back in a new role on HBO. Meet Perry.

The actor has appeared in Castle Rock, Justified, and Drop Dead Diva as well as the 2005 series Charlie Jade and the 2020 movie Two Eyes. In the series this flaky deserter is portrayed by Gabriel Luna. A little background on these two: In the series, Kathleen is the leader of a revolutionary movement that overthrew the military in Kansas City, and Perry is her righthand man. In both games, Pierce voices Tommy, Joel’s brother. Episode 1 already introduced TV viewers to Merle Dandridge, who reprised her role as leader of the Fireflies, Marlene. It also features an outstanding cast of voice actors who managed to elevate its already outstanding material.

Who Are These Residents Of Kansas City? Ellie asked Joel who their attackers were if they were neither FEDRA nor Fireflies, and Joel replied that they were ...

Along with that is the matter of Joel and Ellie’s escape, as they have to flee the city to survive the attackers. “The Last of Us” Episode 4 ends on a note of suspense as the characters of Henry and Sam are just introduced, and they are possibly about to be the next companions of Joel and Ellie. With all of these put together, the next few episodes of “The Last of Us” seem poised to be intense and exciting all the way. It was actually Tommy who had served in the US Army, and Joel was never one to believe in such heroic deeds. However, the series is also strong in showing the difference between people’s own individual moralities, and there is a clear difference between Joel and Kathleen. At the end of “The Last of Us” Episode 4, it is clear that it is Henry and Sam who attack Joel and Ellie in the middle of the night. During their conversation, while driving towards Kansas City, Joel reveals some more about her brother Tommy and about how they went to Boston during the pandemic. Finally, after dark, the two sneak out of their hiding spot and move to a nearby building they had planned for, as it happens to be the tallest building in the area. But so far, the best element in “The Last of Us” has been that it does not demand long scenes to present the emotions and internal struggles of characters but does so in the shortest of glimpses. It is now Ellie who has to step in with her new gun in hand, and she shoots the attacker, injuring him badly. However, it is soon evident that the blockage was probably an intentional one, as the remaining residents of the city blocked the highway with cars in order to force any possible travelers through their streets. [episode 3](https://dmtalkies.com/the-last-of-us-season-1-episode-3-recap-ending-explained-2023-hbo-series/) of “The Last of Us,” which was more focused on the drama and emotional side of things, and was greatly praised for it, episode 4 tries to balance things out with more action.

In "The Last of Us" and in the game, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) listen to Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken" on their road trip.

"Alone and Forsaken" is a forlorn heartbreak song by Williams, but it works for The Last of Us as a despondent anthem of melancholia and gloom. When Ellie falls asleep, as she does in the show too, she wakes up to Joel listening to Williams' "Alone and Forsaken." Here's a snippet of the lyrics: (Imagining Bill careening around town in his beloved vehicle, getting fresh supplies blasting this doom-fuelled song brings a new tear to my eye.) "This is actually before my time," Joel retorts, aware Ellie is calling him old. But series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are also deploying songs to subtly connect the show to the Naughty Dog game.

This week, Joel and Ellie's bond deepened during an unplanned stay in Kansas City. They should have tried Des Moines instead.

The closest we get to returning to the past is when Joel tells Ellie about Tommy, explaining that his brother — a “joiner” by nature — has spent the plague years connecting with anyone who claims to have a plan to fix the world, while sometimes dragging Joel along. (Example this week: a collapsed train trestle on the horizon, with railroad cars dangling.) But I must also tip a cap to the production designer John Paino, whose team built the crumbling physical spaces that Joel and Ellie move through — from the trashed gas stations to the wreckage-strewn Kansas City streets. When Ellie takes a whiff of Joel’s percolated campfire coffee, she recoils, then later asks, “That’s seriously what those Starbucks in the Q.Z. So naturally, this is when they get awakened in the middle of the night by two new characters wielding guns, one who appears to be in his 20s, the other just a boy. As for himself, he must be honest that he obviously needs her — and her willingness to pull a trigger — more than he wanted to. This is what makes Ellie — and Bella Ramsey’s multilayered performance — so pivotal to this story. We know that Henry and Sam were recently hiding out in a building where the concrete foundation is breaking up and rippling, perhaps because of some cordyceps/infected activity going on underground. His dying offer to take them to his mom was probably a pretty good indication that his mother was Kathleen. Joel teaches Ellie how to siphon gas from parked cars — though when he fumblingly tries to explain the physics behind it, she flashes a wicked smile and says, “You don’t know.” When the attacker hands over his knife and pleads for his life — his name is Brian, he tells Ellie in a clear attempt to humanize himself, adding: “We can trade with you! That’s one cat out of the bag. We know that the K.C.

We only got a brief glimpse of them as the camera pulled back from a sleeping Joel to show Henry holding a gun to Ellie's head and Sam pointing one at Joel's.

“We had a conversation about the toll Joel’s life would have had on him physically,” he said. [The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/02/can-the-last-of-us-break-the-curse-of-bad-video-game-adaptations), Druckmann recalled a debate with Mazin about Joel’s physical state in the TV series. In the TV series, the location of Henry and Sam’s meeting with Joel and Ellie is different – they are all in Kansas City – and there have been other changes too. And it started from a place of just like talking with Craig [Mazin] and we’re like, ‘What if we could use less dialogue?’ That kind of constraint led to really interesting storytelling decisions that I would say in some ways make that sequence [with Sam and Henry] more impactful than it is in the game.” “So, he’s hard of hearing on one side because of a gun shot. “Our culture and language is so rich, I’m just surprised that it’s being shown so rarely. “It’s about seeing our Deaf icons on screen, being represented with our culture and our language right there,” he explained. (We won’t spoil any more here for non-gamers watching the series, while for gaming fans we will just say the words ‘toy robot’ and pass the tissues). I’m thankful we had such a great team that was receptive and motivated along with us.” In an Fans of the game will already know about the pair (who we will also see in episode five) – they team up with Joel and Ellie to escape Pittsburgh, where they have been hiding out. Don’t be afraid to try it out.

Why does it feel like such a shock when The Last of Us Episode 4 is devoted strictly to Joel and Ellie? Either way, it's a welcome change.

In the game, Joel was more determined and action-driven, knowing that every person he killed equaled one less enemy to fear. Anyway, a solid episode overall, one that added to the mythos without deviating too far off course. In the game, Joel and Ellie brutally murder countless hordes of people without giving them much thought. - There were plenty of nods to the game in Episode 4: Ellie’s joke book chief among them. Instead, Ellie shoots young boys in the back and conceals her feelings over engaging in such atrocities. The show gave her something to do for the first time, and the young actress delivered.

After last week's bold adaptation, HBO's series gives us an episode packed with moments from the game.

But just as the show’s Ellie is different from the game’s in a few key ways, so too is the show’s Joel different from this game counterpart. [Lotte Kestner’s cover of New Order’s “True Faith.”](https://youtu.be/girKHerKXUg) Interestingly, this cover was the basis for a version of the song that Ellie sang in [a commercial for The Last of Us Part II](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzlzA2El6Ps), which prompted Kestner to tweet about the unauthorized use of her cover. (In the game, Joel has supernaturally keen hearing, letting him pinpoint the locations of enemies through walls and at great distances.) His poor hearing in his right ear may be related to the time a bullet grazed him, but if there’s more to that story, we’ll have to wait to hear it. Ellie asks Joel how he knew the guy asking for help wasn’t hurt, and he says he’s been on both sides, that he and Tess and the crew they ran with “did what we needed to survive.” In both cases, Ellie asks Joel if he killed innocent people. You get the feeling that he’d go to the ends of the earth in support of Kathleen’s crusade, regardless of his own feelings, and that makes him dangerous. Hiding out in an old bar, Joel and Ellie get to talking about how she just saved his life, and it plays out very differently from the game. She instantly links the presence of these “mercs” to him, saying maybe he used a radio to “call these guys in.” Driven by the deaths of her own men, she goes back in to kill the doctor, then comes back outside to rile the crowd up by lying through her teeth. But before, people dying was okay, when you were safe and protected and ratting on your neighbors to FEDRA.” When he protests that FEDRA put a gun to his head, she does the same and asks, “Have I satisfied the necessary conditions for you to talk?” In the game, we know that the hunters of Pittsburgh have effectively liberated the city from the local FEDRA branch, which was a cruel and oppressive institution, denying people rations and brutally keeping citizens in line. Ideologically, I’m not a fan of how ubiquitous the idea is in video games and grimdark movies and TV shows that killing is often just a given, a necessity, once the world collapses. “You don’t like coffee?” Joel asks with a hint of understated humor as she recoils in disgust from the bubbling pot. Whereas Ellie in the game is still constantly reacting with shock and horror as Joel offs bad guys at this point, her TV show counterpart still seems excited by it, and perhaps anxious for a chance to prove she can effectively dish it out.

Kathleen from "The Last of Us" stands in a FEDRA bunker. Whoever he is, he's angered Kathleen. Credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO ...

[Episode 5 of ](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-episode-5-releasing-early) [The Last of Us ](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-episode-5-releasing-early) [airs Friday, Feb. ET](https://mashable.com/article/the-last-of-us-episode-5-releasing-early) on HBO and [HBO Max(opens in a new tab)](https://zdcs.link/kWLXr?cd36=Standard&%3B%3Bt=article&%3B%3Bm=content_body&%3B%3Be=offer&%3B%3Bi=text-link&%3B%3Bel=HBO%20Max.%28Opens%20in%20a%20new%20window%29&%3B%3Bcd62=article&%3B%3Bcd63=06HfY51imYzhAUHuzUzI6Sn&%3B%3Bshort_url=kWLXr&%3B%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-last-of-us-bill-and-frank&%3Bt=article&%3Bm=content_body&%3Be=offer&%3Bi=text-link&%3Bel=HBO%20Max.&%3Bcd62=article&%3Bcd63=050lNWiM14bNETmpJ8LgeNF&%3Bshort_url=kWLXr&%3Bu=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-last-of-us-who-is-kathleen-melanie-lynskey&t=article&m=content_body&e=offer&i=text-link&el=HBO%20Max&cd62=article&cd63=02b60uNwdMKfzvZhxwFygo7&short_url=kWLXr&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Farticle%2Fthe-last-of-us-who-is-henry). In the game, Henry and Sam are survivors from Hartford traveling through Pittsburgh. From this, it's highly likely that Henry was a FEDRA collaborator, who played a part in the capture and killing of Kathleen's brother. While we may not have explicit information about who Henry is, the episode does throw us a few clues as to why Henry is so important to Kathleen. That's when he and his brother Sam (Keivonn Woodard) hold Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) at gunpoint.

Episode Four's needle drop of "Alone and Forsaken" throws it back to the HBO show's source material.

The song also provides the name of the chapter in the game, as well as the title of the episode, “Please Hold My Hand.” The track boasts lyrics that connect to the loneliness of the HBO post-apocalyptic series, as Williams sings in the chorus: “Alone and forsaken by fate and by man/Oh Lord, if you hear me, please hold to my hand.” But the exchange in Bill’s truck between Joel and Ellie also occurs [in The Last of Us video game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBbKagfFIE). [Episode Four](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a42760724/the-last-of-us-episode-4-recap/)'s needle drop threw it back to 1955, with Hank Williams’s "Alone and Forsaken."

A series high of 7.5 million viewers tuned into Episode 4 of 'The Last of Us' on Sunday, despite that the episode was released during the Grammys.

[VIP+ Analysis: PlayStation’s Plan for HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’](https://variety.com/vip/the-new-playstation-strategy-behind-hbos-the-last-of-us-1235488177/) The fifth episode of “The Last of Us” will also run into some major competition — the Super Bowl, typically the most-viewed telecast of the year — though HBO has mitigated that problem with a new release strategy. (Total viewership including streaming was not available for Episodes 3-9 of “House of the Dragon.”)

The HBO series continues to be out standing in its field. Sean Keane headshot. Sean Keane.

The musician was initially uncredited for this use, but game director Neil Druckmann acknowledged this and [apologized in a tweet](https://twitter.com/Neil_Druckmann/status/1270511049586831362). It's like the Kathleen storyline was added to the show so vengeance is a clearer thematic through-line of vengeance between this season and [the second](/culture/entertainment/hbo-hit-the-last-of-us-renewed-for-season-2/). Keshner was [subsequently credited accordingly](https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/10/21280265/the-last-of-us-part-2-lotte-kestner-true-faith-cover-song-ellie-trailer), Polygon reported in 2020. [Melanie Lynskey](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001491/) from Showtime's incredible [Yellowjackets](/culture/entertainment/yellowjackets-episode-10-finale-ending-explained-and-all-our-wtf-questions/)). Despite Joel's safety measures, they wake up to find guns pointed in their faces -- they've been discovered by Henry and Sam ( [similarly to the source material](https://youtu.be/p2rG4p38PAI). In case you feel like breaking them out in your everyday life, here are the jokes she hits Joel with: It's a subtly defining moment in their story in that medium and will likely prove similar in the show. They're on track to connect Ellie to the Fireflies, a rebel group that wants to replicate her immunity to [the fungal infection](https://www.cnet.com/science/biology/features/the-last-of-us-fungal-pandemic-actually-happen-a-scientific-investigation-hbo-max/) that transformed billions of people into monsters. Seems like Kathleen is letting her grudge distract her from a more immediate problem. Kathleen is shown a loft they'd been hiding in, and it's filled with a kid's art of Superman. Having dealt with Fedra, her group is hunting down people who collaborated with Fedra -- the names Henry and Sam will likely stir memories if you've played the game.

Sony's apocalyptic video game adaptation continues to be popular with viewers.

Read up on some of the changes from the game, such as giving the resistance fighters Joel and Ellie encounter [a leader](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbos-the-last-of-us-gives-a-face-to-the-resistance-with-a-brand-new-character/1100-6511193/) among [many others](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-tv-series-writer-teases-changes-from-the-game/1100-6510364/). [renewed for Season 2](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hbos-the-last-of-us-renewed-for-season-2/1100-6510940/) as of last week. The Last of Us is in its first season, but has been Despite some hefty Sunday-night competition, The Last of Us continues to climb to new heights in viewership with each passing week. You don't mess with the Super Bowl. Chad Johnson) Overwatch 2 - Season 3 Trailer Tekken 8 Official Nina Reveal and Gameplay Trailer The Weird Ways Games Use Calibers - Loadout Firearms Expert Reacts To Hell Let Loose’s Guns Part 2

The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. It is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television along with PlayStation ...

[HBO Max](https://deadline.com/tag/hbo-max/) [in just a few days](https://deadline.com/2023/02/the-last-of-us-episode-5-early-release-date-hbo-max-1235249199/). This is the second week in a row that [The Last of Us](https://deadline.com/tag/the-last-of-us/) has had some big competition, after airing on HBO during the last half of the AFC Championship on the East Coast last week. It is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television along with PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint and Naughty Dog. The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal journey as they both must traverse the U.S. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.

"Please Hold My Hand" brings in even more new viewers despite airing during the 2023 Grammy Awards. Pedro Pascal as Joel protecting Bella Ramsey as Ellie in ' ...

The series is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Episode 5 of The Last of Us is, however, set to air This recent feat pulled off by the series is impressive to note given that the episode aired on the same night as the telecast of the 65th Grammys. This run being put together by The Last of Us is impressive, especially when compared to another HBO heavy hitter, House of the Dragon. So fans of the show don’t have long to wait before a return to Ellie and Joel. [The Last of Us](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-hbo/) is one of the most beloved shows at the moment.

Fans of The Last of Us games may have noticed that it's none other than Jeffrey Pierce who plays Kathleen's right-hand man, Perry.

Pierce’s appearance comes at the right time in the series, as Joel and Ellie are on their way to find Tommy. The sequence in the original game in which Tommy sees Joel with Ellie and understands that his brother doesn’t trust himself to shepherd another young girl is one of its most heartbreaking moments; given how emotionally impactful the first few episodes of The Last of Us have been, it will certainly be interesting to see how these critical moments will play out on screen. It’s certainly interesting to see such a different type of performance from Pierce, as Tommy’s gentleness is the complete opposite of Perry’s ruthlessness. Tommy is a complex character who is involved with Joel’s story from the beginning, and witnesses the horrific death of his daughter Sarah. One of the brilliant decisions that showrunner Craig Mazin and original creator Neil Druckmann made was to spend more time focused on individual characters that served expositional or transitory roles in the games. He’s clearly a major factor in Kathleen’s operation; while the game featured a mysterious group of human hunters that threaten Joel and Ellie, they weren’t named and given backstories.